Breakfast honors life of civil rights leader

More than 150 people gathered Monday morning at the 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

BY DARRICK IGNASIAKThe Dispatch

More than 150 people gathered Monday morning at the 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Members from the Lexington City Council, the justice system, Lexington City Schools, the faith community and others attended the breakfast at the J. Smith Young YMCA in Lexington. The event, held on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, was sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Lexington Alumnae Chapter."I'm so happy to be with you on this King holiday, on this Inauguration Day (for President Barack Obama), on this day of community service, on this day on and not a day off," said the Rev. Dr. George B. Jackson, pastor of Citadel of Faith Christian Fellowship in Thomasville and founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Action Committee Inc. "I'm so grateful to our host this morning as they observe their 100th anniversary. We want to congratulate Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for their 100 years of community service. I'm sure your founders would be proud for all you do to make our nation a great place to live."In his remarks, Jackson called King his "hero" and "America's greatest orator."He told of the pain and agony Africans went through as they endured slavery. He reminded those in attendance of how far things have come for equality to be established in the United States."Our ancestors were victims of human bondage," Jackson said. "… God emancipated our people. … The Europeans kidnapped us from our homelands. Our ancestors arrived on the shores of America at times wearing only shackles and chains."Jackson made reference of laws in the United States that banned instruction of reading and writing for African-Americans. "God brought us from Howard University to Hampton Institute, from Delaware State to N.C. A&T," Jackson said, as he listed a number of historically black colleges and universities.He told of the strides made of people in the public eye concerning their race."From Jack Dempsey to Muhammad Ali, look at where (God) brought us from," Jackson said. "From Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama, from Arnold Palmer to Tiger Woods, from George Washington to the 44th president of the United States of America."Jackson's audience cheered and clapped."How grateful we shall be on this day," Patricia Ijames, president of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Lexington Alumnae Chapter, said during the breakfast.Lexington Mayor Newell Clark, Lexington City Schools Superintendent Rick Kriesky and Davidson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Fred Mock provided greetings at the breakfast.Clark stated that 52 percent of the people in the City of Lexington are of the female gender, and 52 percent are of color. Race doesn't matter as Lexington residents need to come together as a community, the mayor said.Clark made mention of what he calls a historic vote at 7 p.m. Jan. 28 in which the Lexington City Council will hold a public hearing and decide on renaming Raleigh Road and Sixth Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard."There are folks who are against it," the mayor said. "There are folks in the community who don't believe in it."Clark urged those at the breakfast to attend the meeting."I need to see you there," he said. "I want to have to fight my way through the crowd to get to my seat."Kriesky said part of King's message is that education is the "great equalizer for all citizens.""Dr. King fought for equality for all regardless of race and cultural diversity," he said. "I think it's very significant in Lexington City Schools we represent that diversity, the diversity that is in our nation, in our state and in our cities."Kriesky said it's the Lexington Board of Education's opinion that the renaming of Raleigh Road would help emphasize to students the importance of King's life and accomplishments. He said he will present a resolution on behalf of the school board regarding the renaming of the road to the Lexington City Council on Jan. 28.Mock said he thinks he's been to each of the breakfasts over the past 24 years. He recalled how in the 1960s in Davidson County there were two buses, which each carried children of different races."One, some of my neighbors got on and went to a different school, and one, some of my neighbors got on and went to the school I went to," Mock said. "I come here every year to give thanks for Dr. King."Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.

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